Located in the historic district of Alexandria, VA, 111 Franklin was constructed in 1953 as a warehouse and office for an export business. Maginniss + del Ninno Architects developed a contextual adaptive reuse concept to transform the building into a corporate office for a national marketing consulting firm.

M+dN worked closely with city agencies and the Board of Architectural Review to make improvements to the sidewalk, railings, and landscaping to better relate the property to the mostly residential context. In addition, the exterior design concept called for restoring the exterior masonry, a few carefully placed new windows, and an entrance canopy that compliments the neoclassical styling of the building. In conjunction with replacing the roofing, M+dN proposed a roof terrace to take advantage of spectacular views of the Potomac River.

The original warehouse is revealed on the interior by exposing the steel floor construction, portions of the concrete block walls, and stained concrete floors. To improve thermal performance and conceal new wiring, the lower portions of the inside of the exterior walls were furred-out in the shape of a stylized mountain to reinforce the branding theme of the company.

The interior space planning included traditional offices, open plan areas, conference rooms, and support spaces, all designed and specified by M+dN.